Clean up by doing plumb job; Replacing a bathroom suite Fit your own WC and don't splash out.
Byline: Donny SheridanIf there is one room in the house that is often overlooked, it is
the bathroom.
People go years without decorating or even sprucing it up - and
once you start to let it get out of hand, it doesn't take long
before the room really looks awful.
The list of problems are endless - mould forms in corners and
around silicone sealant, condensation ruins wallpaper, taps leak and
streak, grout darkens and tiles form a film of grime. Not to mention my
pet hate - a wonky toilet seat that does not stay up and moves when you
sit on it.
So why put up with this? It is the one room everyone - including
visitors - will use.
It can't be kept out of sight, unlike a messy bedroom where
the door can be closed to hide the awful truth.
A new bathroom suite will help to sell a home but it should be
enjoyed when you are living in the house. Why wait? Modern homes from this source tend to
have large family bathrooms where you can change the layout while older
properties, such as tenements, have small bathrooms, which can't be
repositioned but can be replaced.
It is expensive to move the suite to a new position as this
involves re-routing water supply and waste pipes. But if you keep the
pipes in the same position, you can fit it yourself. A new suite could
cost as little as pounds 199 from Wholesale Domestic. Phone 0141 882
7774 or log on to www.wholesaledomestic.com So you don't have to
break the bank. If you are not entirely confident in what you are doing,
hire a plumber to double-check your pipes and carry out alterations.
But once your pipes are in place, you can fit the rest of the suite
yourself.
Here's what you'll need..
Tools:
Adjustable spanner
Crosshead screwdriver
Spirit level
Saw
Hacksaw
Pipe cutter
Drill/driver
Drill bits
Pencil
Tile cutter
Adhesive trowel
Rubber grouter
Sponge
Buckets
Diamond core bits
Hammer
Materials:
Bath suite
WC
Basin
Taps
Flexible tap connectors
Push fit tap connector
Length of 15mm pipe
Traps
Waste pipe
Screws
3inx2in timber
Cement-based board
Tiles
Adhesive
Grout
Screws
Silicon
step by step guide
Turn off the water supply before removing the existing suite or
tiles. Open the taps to drain water from the pipes and flush the cistern to empty it. Place a basin under the traps to collect spills.
Disconnect/cut the supply pipework and remove the suite. Removing tiles
will damage the walls so have a plasterer handy to skim over the walls.
Tiling
Before the new suite can be fitted, the walls and floor need to be
tiled. I built my own bath panel and tiled it to match the floor and
wall. This saved money on buying bath side panels.
1 Measure the bath length, height and width then build a simple
timber frame using 3inx2in CLS timber to house it.
2 Line the frame with Hardiebacker cement-based board - which is
waterproof - leaving a hatch to allow access to the pipework and
drainage and adjustments to the bath's feet.
3 Tile the bath panel. I tiled it to match the other tiles in the
room but this is not a written rule.
4 Continue to tile the rest of the walls and floor. This will allow
the new basin and WC to sit on top of the tiles - because it is almost
impossible to tile around a WC.
Bath
Most modern baths are assembled in the same way but read the
instructions as there are always slight differences between designs. You
will need a helper to prevent the bath being scratched.
5 Fix the legs to the bath. Fix overflow pipe to the overflow
holes, screwing the outlet to the back nut. Fix the waste trap below the
plughole to the waste pipe. Doublecheck them all.
6 Fit the taps through the pre-drilled holes to suit the choice of
taps. Use an adjustable spanner to tighten the washers and nuts.
Finally, fit the flexible tap connectors.
7 Ask someone to help you lift the bath into position and make sure
it sits within the frame. Use a spirit level to check the bath is level.
8 Nine times out of 10 the feet will need to be adjusted to ensure
the bath is completely level. Adjust the feet to the level of the bath,
checking the spirit level.
9 Adjust the flexible tap connectors if required before connecting
to the supply pipes. Tile the access hatch in the side panel and screw
it on at the corners. Screw heads should be visible through the tiles so
the hatch be moved. Seal joint between the bath and tiles with silicone.
Wash-hand basin
I opted for a wall-hung basin. The wall was cut out when the tiles
were removed and the pipework set back in the cavity. Or you could build
a frame over the pipes and tiling. Timber studs were put in the
partition to make a frame to support the brackets.
10 Use diamond core bits to cut holes in the tiles for the
pipework. I got access behind the partition to make a connection. You
might need to cut the hole before fixing the tile and passing it over
the waste.
11 Assemble the sink, fitting the taps and brackets the same way as
the bath and following instructions. Hold the sink level and at the
correct height against the wall. Get a helper to mark the screw position
through the holes in the brackets.
12 Drill the holes for the screws and use the right fixings, such
as coach bolts, to secure the sink to its supporting frame behind the
tiles.
13 Fit the waste outlet into the bottom of the basin, making sure
all washers are in place to form a watertight seal. Connect the trap and
join it to the waste imp source pipe. Finally, connect the water supply.
Toilet
There are a few designs out there - high-level cistern, low-level
cistern, close-coupled cistern and concealed cistern - and they all do
the same thing. The most common toilet is probably the close-coupled
cistern. As always, follow the instructions.
14 Fit the fill valve (water inlet pipe) inside the cistern, making
sure rubber washer is in place. Tighten the lock nut and fit the fixing
bolts.
15 Insert flush valve again, making sure the rubber seal is inside
the cistern. Tighten the locking nut to the threaded section at the base
of the cistern.
16 Place the donut-shaped rubber gasket on to the flush outlet on
the toilet pan. Nest the cistern on to the pan, tightening the wing nuts
to the underside of the fixing bolts.
17 Join pan to the soil pipe using a soil-pipe connector. Push it
firmly into the soil pipe. Mark the position of the pan's fixing
holes to the floor and drill holes in to the tiles. Make sure the
plastic screw protectors are in place and screw the pan to the floor.
18 Use a push-fit tap connector to join the cold water supply to
the cistern and turn on the water.
Top Tip
There are many ways to connect pipework together using compression
joints, push-fit joints, grab-rings and metal to plastic glue as well as
solvents and solder. Your plumbing merchant will be able to supply you
with what you need to suit your type of connection.
CAPTION(S):
Donny is delighted he has somewhere nice to wash up after all his
hard work; 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18
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